LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (SMI), a leading eye tracking company, and OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OVTI), a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today announced from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, that they have partnered to develop a new eye tracking technology platform designed for a wide range of applications. OmniVision's high-quality OV4188 and OV580 imaging solutions enable SMI's latest iView NG eye tracking software platform, offering an enhanced user experience in a number of applications. The OV4188, which leverages OmniVision's high performance 2-micron OmniBSI-2™ pixel, provides dramatically improved low-light sensitivity along with high dynamic range (HDR). The SMI iView NG eye tracking software platform offers outstanding accuracy and reliability, and is designed to meet all key prerequisites for widespread adoption and usage.

As early as 2015, computing display solutions such as smart glasses, VR head-mounted displays, tablets, laptops, info terminals and many more can now affordably incorporate gaze interaction modalities. In combination with voice, gesture or keys, consumers and professionals can simply look or wink to control software applications including games, education, training and logistics or devices such as medical devices and cars to name a few. Interaction becomes more immersive, easier and faster, allowing for a more enjoyable consumer engagement and experience, while accuracy and reliability improve.

"OmniVision's cost-effective and IR-sensitive CMOS image sensors can be easily integrated into small form factors, making them an extremely attractive solution for volume applications," said Christian Villwock, OEM director at SMI. "This allows us to make our eye tracking software platform available for use in many exciting applications in large volume markets."

"SMI's eye tracking technology is extremely robust across a wide range of applications, operating in dramatically different lighting environments," said Chris Yiu, senior strategic marketing manager at OmniVision. "This is critical in moving eye tracking technologies out of controlled environments into mass markets. As these technologies become available, they carry the potential to significantly improve the user-interface in applications such as gaming, training, automotive, mobile devices and info terminals."